Apparatus for the liquid treatment of yarn



y 5, 1966 J. L. CLAIBORNE 3,258,943

APPARATUS FOR THE LIQUID TREATMENT OF YARN Filed Dec. 18, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 COMPRESSED INVENTOR JEFF160M A. 62 6/60611/5 iym 3m M/M;

ATTORNEYS y 1966 J. CLAIBORNE APPARATUS FOR THE LIQUID TREATMENT OF YARN 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec.

INVENTOR TTORNEYS BY Mm,

y 1966 J. CLAIBORNE 3,258,943

APPARATUS FOR THE LIQUID TREATMENT OF YARN Filed Dec. 18, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I n (W0 40 5 INVENTOR ORNEYS 3,258,943 APPARATUS FOR THE LIQUID TREATMENT OF YARN .Ielferson Lyle Claiborne, Chattanooga, Tenn., assignor to Dixie Yarns, Inc., a corporation of Tennessee Filed Dec. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 331,414 4 Claims. (CI. 68-20) This invention relates to the liquid treatment of yarns or threads and in particular to the application of a liquid such as a dye to a yarn which is running at very high speed between a point of supply and a point of collection.

In the manufacture of nylon hosiery it is customary to use cotton in the looper course and to remove this cotton when the hosiery is complete. For identification of such things as denier, size and gauge the cotton yarns are dyed different colors. To keep the dye from staining the hosiery when the latter is dyed, the cotton is required to be colored with a fugitive dye. Thus, the cotton yarn manufacturer who supplies a hosiery knitter is required to furnish a cotton yarn dyed in a variety of colors with fugitive dyes.

In the past the application of fugitive dyes has involved practices very similar to those used in applying permanent dye to yarns or thread. That is, the yarn is wound into package form and the package is put into a sealed container and dye is forced radially through the body of yarn. The quality of the dye application by this prior art process is adequate but the operation is exceedingly costly.

It is therefore a specific object of the present invention to provide apparatus for the application of fugitive dyes to cotton yarns which is characterized by ease of handling and high speed so that a quality dye job can be done very cheaply in comparison to the cost of performing the same operation by prior art procedures.

A broader object of this invention is to provide a high speed, high uniformity apparatus for applying a liquid to a thread, whether the liquid be a permanent or a fugitive dye or an entirely different type of liquid for effecting some other purpose unrelated to dyeing.

Other objectives and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof in connection with the annexed drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a cotton mercerizing and drying machine of the type disclosed in Patents 2,688,863 and 2,834,860 but equipped with dye applicator apparatus in accordance with the teachings of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view in transverse section of the dye applicator in FIGURE 1 showing the manner of supplying the dye to the unit which applies the same to the running thread;

FIGURE 3 is a view in section taken along the line 33 of the FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a view in longitudinal section of the dye applicator showing in broken lines the capabilities for pivotal movement of the housing cover;

FIGURE 5 is a top plan view of the applicator to a scale much enlarged from FIGURE 1 and showing in section a device for removing excess dye from the running yarn; and

FIGURE 6 is a view in section taken along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 5.

Referring now in greater detail to FIGURE 1, the numeral 10 represents the cylinders of a two-cylinder yarn storage-yam advancing device upon which a yarn 11 runs in a generally helical course to be subjected to the action of caustic soda for mercerizing and thereafter to be washed. Cylinders 12 each coaxial with 3,258,943 Patented July 5, 1966 one of the cylinders 10, provide a yarn storage-yam advancing device for the drying of the mercerized and washed thread. From the cylinders 12 the yarn 11 may go to a point of collection. Between the cylinders 16 upon which the yarn is mercerized and washed and the cylinders 12 upon which the yarn is dried, dye is applied by apparatus constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. To this end, the yarn leaving the cylinders 10 passes around guides 13 and 14 and then passes through a drop of dye continuously maintained in a notch 15 in the upper end of a vertically extending tube 16. After passing through the dye drop in the notch 15, the yarn passes along a groove 17 in a stationary guide 18 and, while it is so passing, it is subjected to an air blast. The yarn 11 then goes to the drying rollers 12.

The manner in which the dye is applied to the running yarn can best be appreciated by reference to FIG- URE 2. The tube 16 is of ceramic material and has a central bore 19. At its upper end, adjacent the notch 15, there is a coaxial bore 20 of reduced diameter directly communicating with the bottom of the notch 15. The tube 16 is held in vertical position by a fitting 21 which is connected by a flexible tube 22 to a boss 23 dependent from the bottom of a reservoir 24. Reservoir 24 is fed from an inverted container 25 which is held by a bracket 26 from a standard 27 attached to the wall of the building by a bracket 28. Also attached to the standard 27 is the reservoir 24, the attachment being made by a sleeve 29. A similar sleeve 30 attaches the support 26 to the standard 27. The sleeves 29 and 30 are provided with looking bolts 31 which can be drawn tight against the standard 27 to hold the reservoir and the supply container at a predetermined level. The level of dye liquid in the reservoir is adjusted to provide enough head to keep a drop of dye continuously in the notch 15 at the base thereof through which the running yarn 11 passes. The vertical adjustability of the reservoir 24 allows for variations in installation although, once installed the relative positions of the reservoir and the tube 16 are not changed.

The supply container 25 is shown as a jug inverted with its mouth in such a position as to be co-planar with the top level of the dye in the reservoir 24. Although the yarn is running through the notch 15 at a very high speed (upwards of 500 yards per minute) the application of the dye is very uniform and steady although there is some excess of dye applied to the yarn. This excess is removed by a pneumatic device associated with the thread guide at 18.

The structure and function of this device can best be understood by reference to FIGURES 4, 5, and 6. The yarn 11 leaving the notch 15 enters the groove 17 and wraps about around the device 18 leaving the device through a port 32 in the side wall of the housing 33. The housing 33 is provided in its base with an air port comprised of a vertical channel 34 intersecting an horizontal channel 35. The channel 35 is threaded to receive a rigid tube 36 which in turn is connected to a flexible tube 37 leading to a source of compressed air, not shown. Air coming through the tubes 37 and 36 and through the channels 35 and 34 goes into a chamber 38 which is de fined in part by the interior of the thread guide 18. It can be seen that this thread guide 18 has a generally cylindrical hollow interior with radial ports 39 which register with the bottom of the circumferential groove 17 around which the thread wraps, see FIG. 5. To confine the air within the guide 18, it is provided with a boss 41 at its lower end which compresses a washer 42 mounted in a socket machined in the fioor of the housing 33. It is held in position by a bolt 43 which engages threads 44 provided in the bottom of the housing 33.

The bolt compresses a sealing washer 45 and a compressing Washer 46 so that escape of air from the thread guide is confined to the radial ports 39. The guide 18 does not rotate but is made of a smooth porcelain-like material which oifers very small resistance to the running of the thread.

Access to the housing 33 is had by a pivoted cover 47 which moves as indicated in FIG. 4. The cover helps to prevent the escape of dye which might otherwise splatter. Excess dye removed by the action of the air issued from the ports 39 in the guide 17 flows by gravity to the lower end of the housing from which it is Withdrawn through notch 48 to be caught in a catch pan, not shown, so that it may be drained to waste or used again. To this end the housing 33 is provided with a sloping floor.

In operation the yarn continuously passes through a drop of dye which is maintained in the crotch of the notch 15. It has been found that the application of dye is very reliable and uniform even though the yarn is moved at a very high rate of speed. The yarn immediately after contact with the drop of dye passes a little more than 90 around guide 18 and any excess dye is blown off and the yarn is to some extent worked by the action of the air. It then passes immediately to the twounit device so that when it is collected there has been produced in a single run of the machine a fully mercerized, washed, dyed and dried yarn, the operations being performed continuously at a very high rate of speed.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparat-us for applying a treating liquid to a running yarn that comprises means defining a notch, means to maintain a drop of liquid in said notch of a volume greater than the thread can absorb at the intended running speed of the yarn, a thread guide having a groove therein, means to blow air transversely of said groove to blow off the excess of liquid on said yarn, means to collect said blown-off liquid and means to guide a running yarn successively through said notch and said groove.

2. Apparatus for applying a treating liquid to a running yarn that comprises means defining a notch, means to maintain a drop of liquid in said notch of a volume greater than the thread can absorb at the intended running speed of the yarn, a thread guide having an arcuate groove therein, means to blow air transversely of said groove to blow off the excess of liquid on said yarn, means to collect said blown-oft liquid and means to guide a running yarn successively through said notch and said groove.

3. Apparatus for applying a treating liquid to a running yarn that comprises a vertically disposed tube having a longitudinal bore, said tube having a notch at the upper end thereof, the bottom of said notch communieating with said bore, a reservoir of treating liquid, means to maintain a constant liquid level therein, means connecting said reservoir to the lower end of said tube and adjustable means to support said reservoir at a predetermined level thereby to maintain a drop of treating liquid of controlled size in the bottom of said notch and guide means establishing a free yarn path through said notch in registry and contact with only the drop maintained therein.

4. Apparatus for applying a treating liquid to a running yarn that comprises a vertically disposed tube having a longitudinal bore, said tube having a notch at the upper end thereof, the bottom of said notch communicating with said bore, a reservoir of treating liquid, means to maintain a constant liquid level therein, means connecting said reservoir to the lower end of said tube and adjustable means to support said reservoir at a predetermined level thereby to maintain a drop of treating liquid in the bottom of said notch of a volume greater than the thread can absorb at the intended running speed of the yarn, a yarn guide adjacent to said tube, said guide presenting an arcuate yarn guiding surface, a port communicating with said surface, means to supply compressed gas to said port means establishing a yarn path for passing yarn through said notch and then around said arcuate surface to blow otf the excess of liquid on said yarn and means to collect the blown-off liquid.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 984,446 2/1911 Smith 118-420 1,153,004 9/1915 Althouse 8-151.2 1,385,042 7/1921 Decker et a1. 118-63 X 1,629,154 5/1927 De Ybarrondo. 1,651,167 11/1928 Van Alstyne et a1. 68-200 1,929,877 10/1933 Bonamico 118-419 X 2,177,323 10/1939 Kirkendall 8-151.2 X 2,337,357 12/1943 Stuewer 118-429 X 2,369,769 2/ 1945 Bauer 68-200 X 2,432,404 12/1947 Galatioto 8-1512 2,669,109 2/ 1954 Kuljian 68-200 2,678,024 5/ 1954 Kresse 68-200 X 2,679,231 5/1954 Pomper et al. 118-63 2,871,502 2/1959 Whisnant 68-20 X 3,162,544 12/1964 Cobert 68-200 X FOREIGN PATENTS 166,749 2/ 1956 Australia.

IRVING BUNEVICH, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR APPLYING A TREATING LIQUID TO A RUNNING YARN THAT COMPRISES MEANS DEFINING A NOTCH, MEANS TO MAINTAIN A DROP OF LIQUID IN SAID NOTCH OF A VOLUME GREATER THAN THE THREAD CAN ABSORB AT THE INTENDED RUNNING SPEED OF THE YARN, A THREAD GUIDE HAVING A GROOVE THEREIN, MEANS TO BLOW AIR TRANSVERSELY OF SAID GROOVE TO BLOW OFF THE EXCESS OF LIQUID ON SAID YARN, MEANS TO COLLECT SAID BLOWN-OFF LIQUID AND MEANS TO GUIDE A RUNNING YARN SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH SAID NOTCH AND SAID GROOVE. 